A Pinch of Spice
by jaqtkd
Summary: When Merlin gets caught in a storm, the king and queen do everything in their power to get their friend warm again. However, it seems that they have an ulterior motive; a problem which requires a 'Pinch of Spice' to solve. An Arthur/Gwen/Merlin Threesome.
1. Part 1

_**Summary:** When Merlin gets caught in a storm, the king and queen do everything in their power to get their friend warm again. However, it seems that the couple have an ulterior motive; a problem which requires a 'Pinch of Spice' to solve._

_**A/N:** Set any time from S5 onwards. Gaius isn't around, although I've kept if fairly vague as to whether he's died, retired or is just otherwise occupied. I've also skirted avoided the issue of Merlin's magic and whether anyone knows yet.**  
**_

* * *

**A Pinch of Spice**

The king and queen of Camelot sat at the table in the royal chambers, merely picking at their evening meal whilst a wild storm raged outside, rattling the windows and causing strange whistles to echo around the castle. The royal couple were obviously highly distracted, only reacting when the lightning flashed and regularly casting worried looks at each other before turning back to their plates and nibbling their supper half heartedly.

At the next rumble of thunder the door to the King's Chambers burst violently open and Gwaine and Percival barged in, the latter carrying a semi conscious Merlin in his arms.

"You found him!" Gwen exclaimed as she and Arthur quickly abandoned their meal and rushed forward to help.

"I hope you don't mind me bringing him straight here but he's freezing cold and I thought ..?" Gwaine nodded towards the fire that was currently blazing in the royal hearth.

"Yes, of course, you did the right thing," Arthur confirmed, indicating that Percival should put Merlin down in front of the fire.

Gwen moved quickly to the young man's side and placed a gentle hand on his chest. "He's soaking wet," she complained, before quickly getting back up and moving over to a nearby cabinet. "What happened? Where was he?" she continued, fully aware that the men present were all as concerned as she was – even if they were unlikely to say so out loud.

"We found him lying in the nearby stream. I don't know how he got there but I assume he came back late and the storm caught him by surprise," Gwaine answered.

"Why was he out there anyway?" Percival asked.

"I have no idea," Arthur complained with a large sigh, coming closer and placing a hand on his servant's forehead.

"Collecting supplies," Merlin slurred, his voice no more than a whisper.

"In a storm?" Gwen asked as she came back over with a pile of blankets. "Oh, Merlin, couldn't it have waited?"

"No, no – tonight. Had to be herb," he insisted. "Is cold a bit warm here?"

"What?"

Gwen turned a confused look towards her husband who was now frowning on hearing Merlin's response. He had almost sounded drunk and was quite obviously not himself.

"He's not shivering," Arthur observed with a shake of the head. "Which isn't a good sign seeing just how wet and cold he is. We really need to get him out of those clothes."

"Percival and I can do that if you want," Gwaine said, moving back towards Merlin.

"No, that's fine, we'll take care of it," Gwen replied sharply, waving the knight away. "I think we've got everything we need here?" She turned to Arthur who was already removing Merlin's boots and jacket and the king simply nodded a confirmation, looking serious – although Gwen could easily interpret the look as worry about his best friend's current condition.

"I just thought that, perhaps … her majesty should wait next door whilst _we_ undress him," Percival pushed.

Gwen laughed gently at the suggestion, "I'm a married woman, Percival, I'm sure Merlin has nothing that I haven't seen already."

"Oh, I wouldn't be to sure about _that_," Gwaine replied lightly. "What our Merlin lacks in muscle, he more than makes up for in other areas." Gwen looked up at the knight and raised her eyebrows suggestively. "I didn't mean _that_," Gwaine continued not looking the least bit embarrassed by the misunderstanding. "I just meant that he often joins us knights when we bathe out on the road sometimes and so I …" He glared as he noted the the other three were now all grinning broadly at him. "Look, will you all stop smirking like that. Arthur knows what I mean."

"_We_ believe you, Gwaine," Arthur said with a smile the denied such a statement, "but Guinevere is quite right, we can take it from here. Off you go now and close the door behind you, you're letting out all the heat out."

"Of course," said Gwaine as he started to walk out of the door. Then he paused, looking over at the three huddled around the fire with an amused expression on his face. "However, you should remember our earlier conversation, Arthur. You should take any opportunity that – _might – present - itself." _He gave the young couple an exaggerated wink and pulled a frowning Percival after him.

"What did you mean by that?" they heard the larger knight ask as the pair left.

"Not that this is the ideal situation," Gwen said thoughtfully in response, "but I'd still rather it was Merlin than Gwaine, wouldn't you agree?"

"Seeing you won't contemplate a woman," Arthur retorted with a small smile as he removed the last of Merlin's clothes. Despite her earlier comment to Percival, Gwen still felt her cheeks warm as she caught a glimpse of her friend's naked form before he was quickly covered with a blanket. She had to admit that she was impressed with what she had briefly seen and grateful for her dark skin – hoping Arthur wouldn't see quite how affected she was by the sight. "It's not about jealousy, Arthur, I told you. It's about who we can trust to be discrete. Frankly I was surprised you sought Gwaine's advice about such a matter."

"You know I trust all of my knights implicitly. The rumour's out there already anyway, but I'm happy that only he and Merlin know the full extend of the situation. It makes sense that it doesn't go any further."

"So, what do you think?" she asked. "About Merlin and ..?"

Arthur got up and walked to the table to the large jug that was on the table and put a finger into the liquid to test the temperature. "I'm still not convinced it will have any bearing on the situation but, if it has to be anyone, then Merlin really is the only one I'd trust. The problem is, I doubt that he'd agree."

"Oh, I don't think he'll be as reluctant as you think," Gwen replied, watching carefully as Arthur poured some of the wine into a glass and brought it over. "Perhaps we should have asked Gwaine to get him a hot drink," she suggested.

"No, this is fine. You can't give hot liquid to someone in this condition. This is still a little warm – which is perfect. Here, Merlin, take a sip of this."

The young man had been semi conscious when he was brought in, and had only made that one comment since he'd arrived, but now he did react; shaking his head and pulling away from the goblet that Arthur offered him. "Not hot ..." he complained.

"Yes, I know," the king responded, raising his eyes to the ceiling. "It's just warm – trust me. You're not the only one with some medical knowledge, you know."

"Prat," Merlin muttered, taking a gentle sip. "Feels hot."

"I'm sure it does. Make sure that you sip it slowly."

"Spice ..." Merlin muttered. "What is this?"

"Mulled wine. Surely you've had that before?" the king asked.

"No such luxury for servants, unfortunately," Gwen said in response.

"Cinnamon and … ah … " The dark haired man frowned, his voice still sounding a bit slurred. "I know it - really I do. I just can't seem to remember the name."

"It's not important right now, Merlin," Arthur complained raising his eyes. "You can ask cook tomorrow if you're really that interested."

"He doesn't feel that much warmer," Gwen observed, as she put one hand on Merlin's brow.

"No, you're right," Arthur agreed, copying the action. "Let's get him into bed."

"So much for asking his opinion first," Gwen said with a small laugh as she helped Arthur to carry him over.

Arthur grinned in response as he and his wife worked quickly to pull the blankets to one side, before deposited Merlin on the bed and quickly covered him up. "I suppose this is a good excuse to get the conversation going, at least. After all – the very best way to get him warm is to share body heat."

"Good point." Gwen paused and looked over at her husband questioningly.

"Yes, I know but, right now, we just need to get him better," Arthur replied, now more than able to tell what she was thinking by a look. "Let's just work on heating him up for the moment and see how things pan out later."

She nodded her agreement as Arthur came over to help her untie her dress, kissing her back tenderly before taking off his jacket, belt and boots and getting into the bed on his usual window side. Gwen, now only wearing her under-dress, got in on the other and they both moved up close against their friend throwing their arms around him and holding him close.

"W-what are you doing?" Merlin asked Arthur who he was currently facing.

"You're the physician – work it out," the king retorted.

"Yes, but … I'm in your bed?"

"The warmest bed in the warmest chambers. It really is quite logical."

"B-but … I … c-can't … oohhh," Merlin countered, his teeth suddenly chattering violently.

"I don't understand, why is he shivering now?" the queen asked.

"G-gwen … w-what … w-why is she …?" Merlin quickly turned around to face her, his eyes wide as he realised it wasn't just Arthur keeping him warm.

"Hello," she smiled, amused by his expression. "Just relax and get better." Why could she not stop thinking about what Gwaine had said to Arthur yesterday? Why could she not seem to dispel the image of Merlin's naked body from her mind? Her husband was right – their friend's health was the only thing of importance right now and any other thoughts were pure selfishness on her part but still, this did feel good - the three of them together in one bed.

"Relax?" he squeaked.

"Shut up, Merlin. What part of 'sharing body warmth' don't you get?" Arthur retorted, and Gwen was aware of her husband moving his hands vigorously across Merlin's shoulders and arms and in order to warm him up even more quickly. Merlin's eyes suddenly widened at the gesture and she smiled sympathetically at him before doing the same from the front – her hands rubbing his back, her body wriggling just a bit closer to his. Merlin shook his head and closed his eyes a little and she thought that perhaps, despite the cold, he was beginning to experience a few other sensations now.

"We need to get you warm, Merlin," she whispered. "Don't worry about it."

"The shivering is a good sign, Guinevere," Arthur replied to her previous question. "I can't remember why, but I've seen this before."

"I was t-too cold to shiver b-before," Merlin muttered. "Apparently I'm w-warmer now ..." He gave a slightly sceptical giggle as he said it, his teeth now chattering violently.

"You _are_ getting better," Arthur confirmed. "You're slurring less and you're starting to make a bit more sense."

"T-thank you," Merlin managed, slowly finding the courage to look Gwen in the eye. "S-sorry," he apologised.

"Don't be," she replied, deciding this was a good opportunity to test the waters. "I'm certainly not complaining."

"Hang on ..." Merlin tried to pull away from her slightly, but wasn't really able too, seeing that Arthur was pushed up against him on the other side. "I'm not wearing anything!"

"Your clothes were soaked through," Gwen explained. "We had to get you dry and warm as soon as possible.

"Yes, but ..."

"As I said … absolutely _no_ complaints here."

"Gwen!" Merlin's eyes widened even further.

"I _knew_ you were looking, Guinevere," Arthur grumbled, although his protests were quite obviously half-hearted.

"What? You could have taken Gwaine and Percival up on their offer?" she reminded him.

"S-sorry," Merlin repeated – this time obviously to Arthur; half turning his head to look over his shoulder.

"As Guinevere said, I could have objected if I wanted to, but I didn't. She's seen _me_ naked now, Merlin, so I admit that I wasn't especially worried about the comparison."

"Hey!"

"There are certainly a few interesting differences," Gwen commented – trying not to giggle at Merlin's shocked look. "Although it's probably best that I don't share my thoughts here – I'm sure you'd both agree." She heard Arthur's quiet scoff and smiled – raising her hand to place her hand first on Merlin's forehead and then his arm. "The shivering seems to be easing. I hope that means you're warmer and not going into shock."

"Yes, I'm feeling much better," Merlin said calmly. "So, perhaps I could just trouble you for some spare shirt and trousers of Arthur's and then I'll just quickly get dressed and go home."

"Don't be an idiot, Merlin," Arthur replied. "You're not going anywhere. You can sleep here with us tonight. I don't have any objections to that. In fact, this feels quite nice, doesn't it, Guinevere? Cosy."

It seemed that Arthur was now also starting to test the water – trying to gauge Merlin's response. Gwen couldn't help a shudder of excitement go through her as she thought about what might be happening later if things went the way she and her husband hoped.

"I _am_ a bit tired, I admit," Merlin agreed, his voice now very quiet; not slurred and distant as before, but quiet and sleepy. Gwen watched him closely as his eyes start to close and his breathing became slower and more even. She moved her head to smile at Arthur over the top of his dark head and her husband blew her a kiss before laying his head back down on the pillow and pulling his friend close against his body. Gwen smiled and did the same, planting a gentle kiss on Merlin's forehead. He smiled then, sighing deeply as he fell asleep, held firmly within the close embrace of his two closest friends.

~o~0~o~

Satisfied that Merlin was warm enough, the couple took it in turns to leave the bed to deal with a few things that had been left unfinished due to the earlier interruption. A servant was called to clear away the table and bring up some water and plain food for later if needed and, once that was sorted, Arthur came over to his wife and kissed her gently but passionately, his eyes bright as he shot another glance at the sleeping figure lying next to her in their bed.

"Well?" he asked. "Are we really going to continue with this?"

"Yes," she said moving over to the side table to pick up a small vial that was on her table. "If we take this potion that Merlin made for us too ..?" She left it hanging and Arthur nodded, moving back to his side of the bed and swigging from his own bottle, pulling a face at the taste.

"I'm very grateful that Gaius trained Merlin to take over from him," he observed, "but did the old man really have to teach him how to make things taste so bad too? Couldn't he have missed that part of the lesson out?"

Gwen laughed before quickly turning serious, suddenly remembering. "Oh, I think I know why Merlin was out there today. He said he had run out of one particular herb needed for this potion."

"Yes, but to go out tonight of all nights?"

"I believe he made some comment about picking it during a particular time during the lunar cycle?"

"It's one extreme or the other with him, isn't it?" Arthur observed with a sigh. "Either he totally ignores my requests and commands, or he takes them to the other extreme and almost gets himself killed in the process – and this is not the first time."

"You know why that is, Arthur," Gwen replied gently. "Deep down I think you're aware of how he feels about you. It's why he may not object to – this - quite as much as you think."

The king sighed deeply. "Yes, I know. I think I always have. His devotion to both of us goes well over and above the call of duty, which is another reason I think we can persuade him to help us here too. So …?" He looked back at the bed briefly. "Are you ready for what ever might happen here tonight? Are you ready for me to get back in?"

"Yes," she replied. "I think you should. Let's not let risk him getting cold again.

~o~0~o~

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_**A/N: **__So, this bit is really only T, but Part Two is definitely going to be M and is probably pushing the FF MA rules a bit. Not because I'm going to be any more graphic than my usual M fics but simply because it's a threesome. So, I've putting this notice up here, rather than flagging it. _

_Nice, sexy threesome between Arthur, Gwen and Merlin coming up. What's not to love? :D_

_I've suffered from mild hypothermia myself and so have based Merlin's experiences on my own. _

_"Do I have hypothermia?" I asked the doctor who was attending me after my two and a half hour open sea swim, suddenly guessing why everyone had been fussing over me so much during the previous ten minutes. __ (Yes, I used to do that sort of thing a lot! :D)_

_"Yes," he replied, "but fairly mild. Otherwise you would not have been able to reach that conclusion." That's when I suddenly started shivering!_

_14/11/12_


	2. Part 2

**Part Two**

Merlin had the shock of his life when he became aware enough of his surroundings to realise he was actually naked in the king's bed. Naked in the king's bed with Arthur and Gwen on either side of him. Yes, he understood the logic as to why they were there and that they were only rubbing his body like that in order to warm him up, but he had to admit that there was something about the glint in their eyes that troubled him slightly. However, before he had time to fully come to terms with the bizarre situation or work out exactly what was going on, the stresses of the day finally caught up with him and he quickly fell asleep.

His dreams were deep and fitful; nightmares of his wild flight home in that almost unnatural storm but, as he began to wake, he knew that he was mostly recovered and that he currently felt warm, safe and more at peace than he had for a very long time.

_Very_ warm and still surrounded by two equally warm bodies. His heartbeat increased as several things occurred to him at the same time.

He had his arms wrapped around Arthur and was pressed right up against the king's back with Gwen now apparently pressed up against Merlin in the same way. Even more disconcerting was the fact that, unless his senses were playing tricks on him, he could feel naked flesh against every part of his bare skin both behind and in front of him. Gwen's breasts were quite obviously pressing against his back with the front of her legs fitting perfectly against the back of his and, worse of all, he'd woken up the way most young men do – fully erect with his own hips firmly pressed up against Arthur's naked body.

He was totally pinned in, unable to move and reluctant to do so anyway, just in case he woke the pair and they realised the awkward situation they'd all unconsciously moved into. It appeared that the storm had passed because, despite still being night time, a full moon bathed the room in a weak light, just strong enough for him to be able to see Arthur's pale skin and hair next to him in the bed.

Merlin fought with conflicted feelings as he wondered how he'd ever live this situation down, only to remember the look in his friends' eyes earlier and some conversation that had only been half on the edge of his hearing which made him fell very apprehensive. As he tried to recall what that had been all about, Gwen shifted behind him with a contented sigh, wriggling her hips against his and trailing her hand up his chest and then back down. Her hand left him briefly and he half felt and half sensed that it had moved to Arthur who sighed in response, wriggling back against Merlin. He gasped at the very pleasant sensation and tried to resist pushing back - a temptation that was made much harder when Gwen began to place a few gentle kisses against his back and moved her hand back to him, first to his hip and then gently starting to explore and stroke his skin. He gave a muffled squeak, despite himself.

"How are you feeling, Merlin?" Gwen whispered as she continued to kiss his back, and all thoughts that she was asleep and didn't know who she was caressing quickly disappeared to be replaced by utter confusion.

"Warm … better. Gwen, what's going on?"

"Ssh, just relax." Her hand continued to caress his hip and upper leg, her fingers attempting to slip in between the non existent gap between Merlin and her husband.

"Relax?" he squeaked as his body reacted even more strongly to her touch. "You _have_ to be joking?"

"You're feeling better, then?" Arthur asked, turning over to face him. Merlin somehow managed to feel relief, disappointment and embarrassment at the same time as he suddenly lost all contact of the king's body.

"Yes, ah … sorry about …" he started to apologise, nodding downwards.

"Don't worry about it. Perfectly natural. I have to admit that I'm much the same."

"Are you?" Gwen asked, the amusement in her voice quite obvious. Still spooning against Merlin she stretched her arm across him towards her husband and Merlin saw Arthur's eyes half close as her hand reached its destination.

"Right ... now I really should be going," Merlin spluttered.

"No, please stay," Gwen said, sliding up his back so that she could kiss him on the cheek whilst Arthur sat up and moved to light a candle.

"Arthur?" Merlin asked; a question and a plea at the same time as he felt Gwen move away from him slightly too.

"It's fine, Merlin. Stay." The room suddenly became even brighter as Gwen lit the candle on the right side of the bed and Merlin froze as he looked back towards her and noted that the covers had dropped down to waist level and his friend was sitting upright, her breasts now uncovered and perfectly visible in the brightened room.

"Oh ..." he breathed, simply unable to move – unable to tear his eyes away from the sight.

"She's beautiful, isn't she," Arthur said, his voice enough to snap Merlin's eyes away apologetically.

"But, I don't understand. Why are you …?" He knew how jealous Arthur could be. Remembered his reaction to finding Lancelot kissing Gwen. Why was he accepting this? It made absolutely no sense at all.

"Come into the middle, Guinevere," Arthur stated matter of factly. "You're too far away from me over there and I'm finding it very frustrating."

"Of course," she said with a smile, clambering over Merlin and exposing quite a bit more of herself and him in the process. "So is Merlin it seems."

He opened his mouth to object again, ask for some sort of explanation but, before he could even think of the words, Gwen had settled down between the two men, pulled the covers back up to their waists and reached one hand down between his legs to grab him suddenly, her hand quickly and confidently stroking him.

"What …?" Merlin partially sat up only to realise that her other hand was doing the same thing for Arthur. The King was definitely not objecting, just lying back and enjoying it for a few moments before suddenly turning towards his wife and heading for the nearest breast, kissing and suckling it. Merlin made a slightly strangled sound in his throat as he watched, enthralled despite himself, and fought against the waves of pleasure he was now feeling as the queen continued her task, moving her hands and fingers expertly and somehow managing to find all of his most sensitive spots.

He eventually found the courage to look her in the eye and she smiled shyly at him. "Is that alright? I know what Arthur likes but you might have different preferences."

"N-no … that's … ooh!"

"Then come down here and pay me back," she said, indicating the other breast.

"Oh no, I can't, I mean ..."

"One each," Arthur confirmed, lifting his head from the breast he was suckling. Merlin went to shake his head to object to the idea but Arthur sat up further and grabbed him around the back of the head, quickly pushed him down. "Kiss," he said, "That's an order."

"Arthur," Gwen complained, "What do I keep telling you? No pulling rank in bed."

One part of Merlin was still totally confused and was trying hard to resist – to find the strength to run out of the room and perhaps go and look up the huge list of love enchantments in his magic book to find one that might cover this bizarre behaviour, but Gwen was still stroking him and lying naked next to him, with the soft light reflecting off her dark skin - and he suddenly felt an unexpected wave of desire for her that he'd never before experienced and was quite powerless to resist. Before he knew what was happening he was enthusiastically exploring her breast with lips, tongue and one hand, whilst the other trailed down to her stomach, across to the arm that was currently working Arthur and from there up towards the other breast where he finally rested it on the king's head, his fingers running through the thick blond hair – a long held secret fantasy now realised.

Gwen started to move her hands faster, eliciting small moans from both men, but she was now joining in, apparently enjoying the unusual sensation of having two of them suckling her at the same time.

"Arthur ..?" she gasped and he lifted his head from her breast and shifted upwards a little in order to kiss her passionately on the lips. Merlin used this as an excuse to caress the free mound with his hand, rubbing a finger over her nipples at the same time as he moved his tongue over the other. She gasped again and Arthur laughed, pulling away and watching Merlin for a moment before changing position slightly.

"That's it. Now you're getting the idea," he commented.

As Merlin lifted his head in surprise at the young king's apparent approval, he found Gwen's lips suddenly on his. He froze for a moment in shock, but then the queen changed the way her hand was caressing him and causing such amazing sensations that Merlin was soon kissed her back passionately, all feelings of embarrassment rapidly vanishing.

"Stop doing me now, Guinevere or I won't last," Arthur said after a little more time had passed. "I believe it's your turn now."

"Yes … please ..." she said pulling away to kiss her husband again. Now half mad with desire, Merlin watched fascinated as Arthur's hand trailed under the sheet and between Gwen's legs to start pleasuring her, whilst he moved out of the way slightly to allow her to raise her knees and widen them more. During this, Merlin saw tantalising glimpses of both of their bodies – quite confused by the pleasure that the view was now giving him and silently scolding himself for wanting to see more.

Arthur saw where his friend's gaze was falling and smiled, deliberately moving the sheet to expose himself some more. Merlin's eyes widened as he watched them both – his own hand now stroking Gwen's bare skin as he found himself wishing that he was closer to Arthur – wondering if the blond would consent to having Merlin touch him at all.

"This feels even better than usual ..." Gwen gasped, adjusting her position a little more as both men now stroked, caressed and kissed various parts of her body.

"My turn in the middle," Arthur announced suddenly, clambering over his wife and sliding down in between them. As he did, he threw the covers off them all completely and Merlin gasped again, his eyes scanning them both hungrily and not even feeling slightly concerned that he was now totally exposed too. He'd seen Arthur naked before, of course, but this was a whole different situation and Gwen – well that was definitely a new experience for him and one he had to admit that he was enjoying. He met Arthur's eyes and the blond smiled wickedly, his eyes scanning Merlin's body just as eagerly and making his heart race even faster. As the king quickly continued pleasuring Gwen with one hand, his other quickly moved to Merlin and grabbed him, making him jump.

"Then again, perhaps Gwaine was right. Perhaps I do have some competition after all," Arthur said with a smirk.

"No complains ... as I said earlier ..." Gwen managed.

"Oh, my," Merlin gasped, lying back down on the pillow in ecstasy as Arthur started to stroke him. He couldn't believe this was happening. Couldn't believe what was being done to him. Perhaps he'd been right about that enchantment earlier.

"Still want to leave, Merlin?" Arthur asked as he continued to pleasure them both.

"But, I don't understand why you're doing this … to me."

"You want me to stop?" he teased

"No … but …" he started and heard Gwen giggle at the exchange. "No, _please_ don't stop."

"Well, I admit that I've never done anything like this to a man before, but tonight is different and we both want you to get as much enjoyment out of this as we are." His voice turned suddenly sly. "You are enjoying what I'm doing to you, aren't you, _Mer_lin?"

Had they guessed how he'd felt about Arthur? Merlin had tried hard to hide it over the years and had often been confused as to how he could be attracted to Morgana, fall hopelessly in love with Freya and yet still have theses strong and confusing feelings for Arthur. Now he was going to have to add Gwen to that list because, up until now he'd felt nothing more than friendship towards her. Tonight had changed that – looking at her naked body and watching her as she pleasured and was pleasured in turn was exciting him far more than he'd ever believed possible.

Just as he stopped fighting it – just as he fully laid back and gave himself over completely to Arthur's ministrations, the king stopped, laughing as Gwen grumbled at exactly the same time.

"Come on, it's time to get serious. The way I'm feeling now ..." He shrugged. "Well, Gwaine was right when he suggested this. Perhaps this might actually work."

"Oh!" At long last, Merlin thought he'd found a logical reason for their behaviour. "You mean you're doing all this to help with this fertility problem you're having?" He frowned. "How's that supposed to work?"

"A pinch of spice," Gwen said sitting up too and suddenly moving forwards to kiss Merlin full on the lips again. Just as he started kissing back she pulled away with a grin and kissed her husband instead. "Two different flavours might just make all the difference." And she turned back to kiss Merlin again.

"So, _now_ you want me to leave, I assume?" he asked.

"Honestly, Merlin, do you have _no_ imagination?" Arthur complained.

"I just don't see how all this is going to help with … that. I mean, I've made that tonic for both of you and really, that should be enough to ..."

"Less talking," Arthur interrupted. "Let's get on with it. Merlin lie the wrong way on the bed with your feet on the pillow."

"What?"

"Guinevere. Turn over … on your knees."

"Are you giving your servants orders again, your Majesty," she teased but did as he'd asked, placing herself on her hands and knees so that her head was now level with Merlin's hips. She turned to look at where he was situated with a grin and, before he could register what was happening, she'd moved her left hand over to the other side of his hip, and bent down to take him in her mouth.

"Gwen …" Merlin practically shouted her name as she dragged her lips back up to the tip and then firmly back down again, her tongue licking and rolling around him as she did.

"Just enjoy it, Merlin, she knows what she's doing." Arthur had now moved alongside Merlin's head, kneeling behind Gwen and positioning himself to enter her from behind. Merlin closed his eyes for a moment to collect his thoughts; not easy considering the circumstances and the incredible sensations he was now experiencing. He now felt that he was very close to release but, the recent revelation as to why these two had felt the need to include him in their usual private activities, had given him an idea on how to help them even further.

Arthur was now making love to Gwen, whilst she was still sucking Merlin - his head now by their hips. Seeing both the warlock's hands were now free, he turned very slightly so one could reach under Gwen to touch her stomach whilst he lifted the other towards Arthur, sliding his hand up the inside of his legs a lot slower then was absolutely necessary before cupping him firmly. He paused to try and calm his over excited reaction to what he was doing and also see if either of his friends were going to object, but the pair just continued what they were doing, perhaps even groaning a little louder as he added the extra caresses. The situation was now so passionately out of control that Merlin knew he had to act quickly before it was all over. He concentrated; focusing strong, general healing magic down both of his arms to where his hands were touching them, and his eyes glowed gold as he cast the spell.

He could not say for certain why Gwen had not yet conceived but, if there was anything medically wrong with either of them, perhaps this extra bit of magic combined with the enchanted potion he had concocted for them would be enough. If he really was the most powerful sorcerer that had ever lived then he should be able to help his friends without having to resort to any of that 'life for a life' nonsense that had contributed to Arthur's birth. No magical exchange – no deal with the gods. Just a burst of his warm, life giving magic right to the appropriate parts of their bodies.

They both seemed to feel it too - their surprise at the unusual sensation pushing them over the edge and setting Merlin off too - all three of them crying out in ecstasy at exactly the same time.

"That was … amazing," Arthur managed, as Gwen collapsed down onto the bed with a giggle and Merlin just lay there, blinking owlishly as he tried to come to terms with what he had just felt. He'd climaxed at about the same time as he'd released his magic – an incredibly strong sensation - and had only managed to find the energy to sit up when Arthur nagged him, needing Merlin to turn around so that he didn't get buried by the covers that he was starting to pull up over them all.

Gwen had already moved back to the window side of the bed and settled down before Arthur joined her, quickly lying to her left.

"Yes, that was wonderful," Gwen agreed, turning to rest her head on her husband's shoulder, one hand stroking his chest with a sigh. "But it makes perfect sense if you think about it. The three of us always did make a great team, didn't we?"

Merlin was still sitting to one side feeling stunned and slightly embarrassed by the whole situation, but the pair just smiled at him and Arthur held out his free arm, inviting him to adopt the same position as Gwen on his other side. Now far too tired and sated to object, Merlin snuggled up against the king's other shoulder and quickly fell asleep.

~o~0~o~

When it was confirmed that the queen was with child, Merlin was as excited and proud as Arthur was. This child had three parents, Gwen declared, and she was far closer to the truth than she realised – Merlin's magic having helped to create the life inside her just as much as Arthur's seed had.

Of course, from that point onwards there was no real need for such sessions to continue but, every now and then, at the end of the day, the king would be heard to inform his manservant that he was to bring up a jug of mulled wine to the royal bed chambers that evening, and to make quite sure that he added a very generous pinch of spice.

~o~0~o~


End file.
